I Am Joining The Human Rights Campaign

As just about every person who knows me knows, I am transgender.

Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community as a trans/queer woman has affected me every single day of my life, whether it be in my personal life, my work career or in numerous political aspects.

We are in yet another election year and my rights and the rights of all LGBTQ+ Americans and Ohioans are at risk more than ever.

There are many LGBTQ+ issues being debated in our federal, state and local legislatures. Currently, in the Supreme Court, we have a destructive presidential administration in the White House that is fighting against the protections of LGBTQ+ Americans in the areas of employment, healthcare and more.

We have a Republican-controlled Senate that refuses to pass the Equality Act, a bill that the House of Representatives passed last spring that would add gender identity, sexual orientation and other minority groups to civil rights protections across this country so that members of our community can’t be fired from their jobs or kicked off their healthcare plan or out of their homes simply because of who they love or who they truly are.

We have a similar bill that we are trying to pass in the Ohio Congress as well called the Ohio Fairness Act that offers protections to LGBTQ+ Ohioans in employment, housing and public accommodations.

We have two radically anti-trans Republican representatives in the Ohio Statehouse who are working on legislation to punish doctors who help transgender children with their medical transitions that would do irreparable damage to trans kids in the state of Ohio.

Long have I said that people can’t just sit behind social media to voice their concerns and fight against hateful policies and for far too long have I let myself fall into that same hole, only coming out from behind the keyboard in the occasional march or two.

I am excited to announce that I am stepping up to help make real change for the LGBTQ+ community by joining the Columbus branch of the Human Rights Campaign as a member of the Steering Committee and Digital & Social Media team.

I am excited to finally get off my butt and take real action to make this city, state and country a better place for LGBTQ+ people like me.

I’ve had the pleasure already as a member of HRC Columbus to meet members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community here in Central Ohio, meet with the other leaders of the steering committee for HRC Columbus and make phone calls to the great people of Ohio about contacting their state legislatures to support the Ohio Fairness Act.

I am eager to continue working towards equality for all members of the LGBTQ+ community and all other minorities as a member of the Human Rights Campaign and I urge everyone who reads this to do as much as you can through speaking, voting and being as engaged politically and socially as you can to help make our city, state and country a better and fairer place to live for all.